This article examines how one elementary school was divided into two schools—a primary and an intermediate school—because of how policies were interpreted and enacted with regard to high‐stakes testing. The grades in which students took high‐stakes tests were privileged in terms of receiving monetary resources and support from staff. An emphasis on testing also influenced how bilingual education was addressed. These organizational decisions highlight how policy operated as a practice of power, where inequitable education outcomes were reproduced. [education policy, high‐stakes testing, school organization, elementary school]